Lily Evans The Ups and Downs of Being a Witch
by Zaley101
Summary: Lily Evans cant wait to go to Hogwarts, but she soon finds out that it's not all fun and games. Between school work, Dark Wizards, trying to get along with her sister and staying out of trouble; she soon realizes that being a witch has its ups and downs.
1. That Snape Boy and Tacky Professors

"_MUM!_"

Charlotte Evans put the dish she was washing back in the sink and hurried out of the kitchen. Her oldest daughter, Petunia, was running down the stairs; her long blond hair flying behind her. She stood before her mother and crossed her arms; her round hazel eyes were glowing in fury. Charlotte cleared her throat.

"Erm, do I want to know?"

"I don't think so Mummy," Her other daughter, Lily, replied slowly climbing down the stairs. Her green oval eyes were cast down, and she looked incredibly guilty about something. A shadow moved from behind Lily and Charlotte knew that Lily's friend, Severus Snape, was still at the top of the staircase debating whether to come down.

"Well, I guess it's my job to know, so I'll go ahead and ask," Charlotte said with a sigh. "What happened this time?"

"It was that Snape boy again, Mum!" Petunia complained pointing an accusing finger towards the staircase. Severus slowly walked down the stairs, his dark eyes perfectly matching the guilty look that Lily's eyes had. Petunia glowered at the boy with his greasy black hair and his secondhand clothes as he stood beside Lily.

"What did you do this time Severus?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Go on, tell her!" Petunia snarled at him. "Tell her what you did to my _brand new_ designer coat!" Severus blushed and muttered something that Charlotte didn't catch.

"Say that again, dear?" Charlotte asked.

"He poured milk on it!" Petunia exclaimed. "That dratted friend of _your_ daughters spilt milk all over my coat! It's ruined Mum! There's no way we can get the stain out!"

"I'm sorry Mum," Lily said quietly. "It was my fault; I accidently pushed Sev and he spilt some milk on Petunia."

"ALL OVER MY NEW COAT!"

"Yes, Tuney, I get it," Charlotte replied calmly, rubbing her temple. She could feel a headache coming on fast.

"I should make you buy me a new coat," Petunia snarled at Severus. "If you weren't so poor and helpless I _would_ make you buy me a new coat!" Severus' eyes grew huge at the insult; if Lily hadn't grabbed his arm he probably would have slugged the older girl.

Charlotte gasped, "_Petunia!_ That's a horrible thing to say! Apologize to Severus right now! "

"But Mum, it's all his fault! Ever since Lily met him stuff happens to me! He tells Lily all kinds of lies, and she believes him too!" Charlotte put her hand up before Petunia could say anymore.

"I've had enough, Petunia Evans. Go to your room and I don't want to hear another peep out of you for the rest of the day." Petunia glared at her mother and did what she was told. Charlotte waited until the door slammed shut before she turned to the two 11-year-olds.

"How about a cup of tea?" She offered. "Then you can tell me the whole story." Lily and Severus both nodded and followed Charlotte into the kitchen.

"We were running out of my room," Lily explained as they sat around the table. "Sev stopped short when he saw Tuney walking towards us and I ran into him."

"Knocking me into Petunia," Severus added. "I dropped my milk and some of it landed on Petunia's coat, but it's not as bad as she made it out to be. There are only a few spots; I'm really sorry Mrs. Evans. If you want, I can take it to my Mum; she can get the stains off." Charlotte smiled at the small boy.

"There's no need for that, and don't feel bad about the coat; accidents happen, and I think we can all agree that Petunia tends to be on the dramatic side of everything." Severus and Lily grinned, both feeling better about the situation.

"Why don't you two go outside and play while I have a quick chat with Petunia?" Charlotte suggested. Wasting no time, the two children jumped up and ran out the door.

"Wow that was close," Lily muttered.

"Tell me about it," Severus agreed as they made their way towards the small thicket that separated her house from his. It was their favorite getaway spot. Petunia had stopped following them into the thicket ever since the time Severus made the tree branch break on her. At first, Lily had been furious with Severus for trying to hurt her sister, but now she was glad that he had; they could now talk freely there without worrying about nosey Petunia trying to listen in.

"Sev?" Lily asked as soon as they were at a far range from the house.

"Hm?" He replied looking at her. The sun was making her bright red hair shimmer, almost as if it were on fire. Severus had always admired that about Lily. It was her red hair that had caught his attention 4 years ago; when they both discovered that Lily was a witch. Since then the two had practically become inseparable. Severus knew all about the Magic world since his mother was a witch; Lily loved to sit and hear his stories.

"Summer is almost over," Lily said as they entered the thicket. "Shouldn't we be getting our letters soon?"

"Yeah, Mum said that they should arrive any day now."

"Who do you think will come to my house?" Lily asked curiously. Severus shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe Dumbledore?" Lily's eyes grew huge.

"The man you're always talking about?" Severus grinned.

"That's the one. Imagine getting to meet him, the most powerful Wizard in the world!"

They came to the small river at the center of the thicket. Lily sat at the bank to take off her shoes and put her feet in the cool water; Severus sat beside her. Suddenly Lily turned and her piercing eyes met his.

"Sev, what if I'm not really a witch? What if I don't get a letter and I never get to go to Hogwarts?" Her voice was full of worry. Severus grinned at her in amusement. Lily asked him that same question almost every day. No matter how many times he assured her that she was a witch, the small redhead always doubted herself.

"You're definitely a witch," He assured her. "And from what I've witnessed you're a powerful one. Now stop worrying. Someone is going to come to your house any day now and give you the letter, and before you know it we'll be on the train to Hogwarts. I have complete confidence that you'll be a great witch, Lily." Her dark green eyes lit up at his compliment and she gave him a huge grin before stretching out on the grass. Severus followed her lead, and the two stayed there for several hours chatting excitedly about what they would do once they finally went to Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>Severus had been right; just two days after their chat in the forest, Professor Minerva McGonagall was standing on the Evans' front porch. Lily had seen the Professor climb out of a cab and watched curiously as she briskly walked to the door.<p>

Lily knew immediately that this woman had to be from the Magic world; her clothes were terribly tacky. The Professor had a bright yellow blouse and a red, knee length skirt. She had a black cloak and a pair of ugly brown shoes that were terribly out of style. Her brown hair was up in a tight bun and she wore a small pair of glasses.

A loud knock on the door took Lily away from her thoughts, and she quietly ran out of her room, almost knocking into Petunia.

"Watch it!" Petunia hissed. Lily didn't reply and the two sisters crept to the staircase, quietly listening in as their father, Isaac Evans, opened the door.

"Good evening, you're Mr. Evans I presume?" Lily and Petunia climbed down the stairs to get a better look.

Isaac stared at the woman in complete shock; her strange wardrobe choice had apparently caught him off guard and left him speechless.

"Isaac, who's at the door?" Charlotte asked walking out of the Living room. She stopped short and frowned in confusion when she saw McGonagall, but unlike her husband who just stared dumbly ahead, she quickly recovered and stood beside Isaac.

"Hello, pardon my husband's manors. May we help you ma`am?"

"She's probably looking for directions to the mall," Petunia muttered. "Heaven knows she needs a new look."

"Shhhhhhh!" Lily hissed, putting her hand up. They fell silent once more as Charlotte let the Professor inside. Isaac had finally recovered from his shock and followed his wife as she led everyone into the Living room.

They passed the stairs where Lily and Petunia were sitting. McGonagall glanced up and locked eyes with Lily; a shiver of excitement ran down her spine when the Professor gave her a tiny smile and a quick wink. She did it so fast that after a second, Lily wasn't sure if it had really happened.

When the adults were in the living room; the girls quickly slipped the rest of the way downstairs and ran into the kitchen to hear the conversation in the next room.

"So what is this about, Mrs. McGonagall?" Isaac asked offering her a seat.

"Professor McGonagall," She corrected as she sat down.

"Right sorry," Isaac replied. "What's this school called again?"

"Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry," McGonagall repeated. Petunia and Lily let out involuntary gasps. Lily's hands were shaking with excitement; Severus' stories had been true after all! She eagerly put her ear to the wall.

Charlotte was staring at McGonagall intently, waiting for the woman to start laughing and tell them it was just a joke. However Minerva McGonagall's face was dead serious as she went on to explain that the school had taken an interest in Lily and wished for her to attend this fall. Petunia snorted in disgust.

"She's a looney." Lily ignored her comment and strained to hear more. Petunia had lost interest and decided to get a drink.

It was several long minutes before McGonagall finally managed to convince the Evans that this was indeed, not a joke and magic really was real. Even then, they were not completely convinced, and as a final resort the Professor pulled out her wand and summoned a glass from the kitchen, which just happened to be the glass that Petunia was about to drink from. She let out a shout of surprise as her glass suddenly left her hands and flew into the Living room.

"Mum!" She shouted chasing after her glass. Lily took this as her cue to join the adults as well.

"Ah, there you are Lily," McGonagall said cheerfully when she caught sight of Lily walking up. The small redhead stood at the entrance wondering if she should go in or not.

"Please have a seat. I was just discussing with your parents about a school opportunity for you." Lily smiled at the Professor shyly and took a seat between her Mother and Petunia. McGonagall pulled out a letter and handed it to her.

Lily's heart pounded as she opened the letter that was addressed to her. Inside she found a piece of parchment that had a list of school supplies and a letter that read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
>of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY<em>_  
>Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE<br>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme  
>Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)<em>

_Dear Miss Evans,  
>We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts<br>School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find an enclosed list of  
>necessary books and equipment.<em>

_Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31._

_Your sincerely,  
>Minerva McGonagall<em>

_Deputy Headmistress_

This was the letter that Severus had told her about! She looked excitedly at her parents and grinned at their tense faces. She really was a witch and she was going to the best Magic school in the world. What could be greater?

Charlotte cleared her throat uncertainly.

"Er, what do you think Sweetie? Is this something you'd like to do?" Lily nodded vigorously, too excited to talk. Isaac had picked up the list of school supplies and frowned.

"Where are we going to get this stuff? I don't know of a store that sells wands or cauldrons."

"Diagon Alley in London will have everything you need," McGonagall explained calmly. Charlotte made a face.

"Diagon Alley? I've never heard of such a place." Lily's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Severus told me about that place! He says that it's where witches and wizards shop at. It's located near somewhere called the Leaky Cauldron, or something like that." Four heads whipped around in unison and stared at Lily in shock. She looked confused for a second before she realized what she'd said. Her family didn't know that Severus and his mother were from the Magic world, and no one other than Petunia knew about Lily and Severus' chats.

"Severus?" Charlotte asked in confusion. "Your friend Severus Snape? He's a wizard too?"

"See Mum?" Petunia said triumphantly. "I _knew_ there was something strange about that kid!"

"Enough Petunia!" Charlotte snapped; she really wasn't in the mood to listen to her daughter's ranting at the moment. McGonagall raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Severus Snape, Madam Prince's son?"

"Yes," Charlotte said. "The Snapes live down the road from us. Lily and Severus like to play together." McGonagall was very interested about this news, but she quickly shrugged it off. It was her job to get students to school, not to get caught up in their personal lives. She stood and shook everyone's hands.

"I'm afraid I must be leaving now. I've got two more houses to visit today. Here's your ticket to board the train on September 1st. Like I said, you will find everything you need at Diagon Alley; if you have any questions just send us an owl." With that, she promptly left. As she shut the door, Isaac turned to his wife.

"Darling, how on Earth are we going to send an owl?" Charlotte shrugged, still trying to digest everything she'd just learned.

"I haven't the slightest idea, Dear."

*********Author's Note*********

Ok, this is my first time posting a fanfic. I hope you liked chapter 1; it's a bit short, but chapter 2 is a little longer. I've decided to wait a little while before posting the next chapter. Have any comments? Noticed any spelling or grammar errors? Write me a review and let me know your opinion; I'm open for suggestions!

Thanks,

Anna :D


	2. Lily's First Trip to Diagon Alley

"Isn't this so exciting?" Lily asked for the hundredth time. Severus couldn't help but roll his eyes; he'd been to Diagon Alley several times so the excitement had worn off, but this was Lily's first time and she was ecstatic.

Lily's parents had agreed to allow Eileen Snape take Lily to Diagon Alley. They'd wanted to go with her, but with their busy schedules they couldn't find the time. Lily didn't mind though; she loved Severus' mother. Eileen was like another Mum to her. Once you got past her haughty look and the scary stares that she gave you; she really was a wonderful person. It was a shame that she was stuck with such a horrible man for a husband.

"Here we are dears," Eileen announced, stopping at an old rundown pub with a sign that said _The Leaky __Cauldron_. Lily glanced around and noticed that the Muggles didn't even look at the building. That seemed odd to her because the pub was standing between two large stores and stuck out like a sore thumb; surely it would catch someone's eye.

Eileen walked inside and Lily shrugged off the thought as she and Severus followed the older witch. The inside looked as rundown as the outside. Witches and wizards of every shape and size were sitting at tables. Most of them were wearing very queer looking robes and some were wearing tacky Muggle clothing.

"Hello Tom," Eileen greeted as an old Wizard walked up to them.

"Madam Prince! So lovely to see you again," Tom said shaking her hand. "Hello again, Severus, and who might this charming young lady be?" He grinned at Lily and she smiled back shyly, taking a step back towards Severus.

"This is Lily Evans," Eileen explained. "She and Severus are going to Hogwarts this year. We're going to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things."

"Ah, yes, of course," Tom replied still looking at Lily curiously. "Well I must be off; lots of work to be done. It's nice meeting you Miss Evans; I hope you two enjoy Hogwarts." He walked off and Eileen resumed their walk.

"That was Tom, he owns the Leaky Cauldron," She explained to Lily as they made their way to the back of the pub. A few people glanced up as they went past, and Lily felt completely out of place. She stood very close to Severus and hoped that she didn't look as nervous as she felt.

Eileen led them to a small court yard. Lily stopped and frowned; it was a dead end. They were surrounded by a brick wall and the only way out was the way they'd just come in. She was about to voice this when someone came up from behind her.

"Eileen! Long time no see," An older witch greeted cheerfully walking past Lily and shaking Eileen's hand. She was very plump and short; her blonde hair was put in a messy bun. A small boy stood beside her looking around shyly. Lily caught his eye and she smiled sweetly; the boy blushed and stood closer to the woman.

"Why if it isn't Nancy Pettigrew! It has been a long time since we saw each other last," Eileen greeted. "My, Peter, how you've grown! Are you starting Hogwarts this year too?" The boy nodded careful not to meet Eileen's eyes.

"Come now, Peter, don't be shy," Nancy chastised. "You know Mrs. Snape." The boy still didn't look up.

"Severus and his friend, Lily, are starting Hogwarts as well," Eileen continued, pretending that she didn't notice the boy's shyness.

"Maybe you'll be in the same house as one of them," Nancy said, gently nudging Peter. He glanced up and smiled at Lily and Severus before quickly looking back down. Severus snorted and Lily nudged him with her elbow. Nancy sighed in frustration before turning back to Eileen.

"Well, it was nice talking to you. I guess we'll see each other again on September 1st." Eileen nodded in agreement.

"See you then."

Lily watched curiously as Nancy pulled out her wand and tapped some bricks. The brick wall in front of them suddenly opened and an alley came into view.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Severus announced grinning at the look on Lily's face. Her green eyes were huge as she tried to take it all in. Shops lined the alleyway; people were walking in every direction. Nancy and Peter walked off leaving the group of three standing alone. Ahead of them loomed a large white building; _Gringotts_ was painted in bold across the front.

"That's our first destination," Eileen said noticing what Lily was looking at. "We're going to exchange your Muggle money for Wizard money." They started off.

"Stay close to me," Eileen warned them. "You don't want to get lost."

Lily stared at everything around her in awe. The shops had the strangest displays; she saw cauldrons boiling smelly liquids, a pair of scissors snapping open and closed, quills magically writing on parchment and a giant cone of icecream advertising a new flavor. Lily noticed a group of kids standing around the window of a store called _Quality Quidditch Supplies_.

"Severus?"

"Hmmm?" He asked glancing at Lily.

"Is Quidditch that wizard game you were telling me about; the one with the brooms?"

"Yeah," Severus replied, looking at the crowd near the display. "I guess the Nimbus 1000 is finally out. It's the broom that they used in the World Cup this year." Lily raised her eyebrows in interest, but another store caught her eye and she soon forgot about Quidditch.

She stared at the display window of a store called _Eeylops Owl Emporium_. A beautiful tan barn owl with a white face stared serenly back at her. She pulled the supplies list out of her pocket and reread it. The bottom of the list said that she could bring a pet; it could either be an owl, a cat, or a toad. Her gaze fell back on the owl as they passed by the shop; wouldn't it be nice if she could have an owl of her own? Then she could send letters just like the people in the Magic World did.

"Here we are," Severus said startling Lily out of her thoughts. She stared up at the large marble building in front of her.

"This is the bank I was telling you about," He told her excitedly. "Goblins run it." A shiver of fear and excitement ran down Lily's back. She was going to see a Goblin! It would be the first creature from the Magic world that she'd ever get to meet. Her heart pounded quickly as she followed the Snapes inside.

The Goblins looked just the way Severus had described them. They were very short with long fingers and toes, and had funny shaped heads. Eileen calmly walked over to the Goblin standing at the counter.

"I'd like to make an exchange," She said putting Lily's money on the counter. The Goblin nodded and took the money. He came back a few minutes later with a bag of coins. Lily took the bag and thanked the Goblin. He looked very taken aback and blinked at her several times. Behind her Severus started snickering. Lily turned and glared at her friend; she was about to demand why he thought being polite was funny, but Eileen quickly changed the subject and led them back outside.

"Do both of you have your lists?" She asked cheerfully. They nodded and pulled them out. Eileen took Severus' list and looked over it.

"I've already got your robes, books and cauldron, Sev," She said. "I think the only thing you need to get is your wand." Severus nodded.

"I think the first place we should go is _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_ so Lily can get her robes; then we'll go to Ollivanders to get your wands." Lily and Severus nodded in agreement and Lily soon found herself standing in a small shop full of brightly colored robes.

"Hogwarts?" Madam Malkin asked walking up to them.

"Yes," Eileen said. "She needs to be fitted." The woman looked at Lily for a moment before turning and walking towards the back.

"Please follow me, then." Lily glanced at the Snapes before following Madam Malkin.

A boy who looked to be about Lily's age was already standing on a stool. He had sandy brown hair that was very shaggy and almost covered his dark blue eyes. Madam Malkin instructed Lily to stand on a stool beside the boy; Lily did as she was told and the woman hurried off again to fetch something.

"Hogwarts too?" The boy asked shyly. Lily nodded shifting uncomfortably.

"Yes, it's my first year and I'm kind of nervous." The boy nodded understandingly.

"It's my first year too. I'm Remus Lupin by the way, what's your name?"

"Lily Evans," Lily replied holding out her hand to him. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," He said shaking her hand. Madam Malkin bustled in again and started measuring Lily from head to toe.

"Your robes are ready for you Mr. Lupin," She said to Remus. He nodded and jumped down.

"See you in September, Lily," He called over his shoulder.

"See you," Lily called back, pleased that she'd made a new friend. She couldn't wait to tell Severus.

After a few more minutes of measuring, Madam Malkin hurried off again; she came back with two black robes and an odd looking hat.

"There you are Miss," She said, helping Lily off the stool. She followed the older woman back to the front where the Snapes were waiting for her. Eileen counted out the coins for Lily, who wasn't very familiar with wizard money, and the group left for Ollivanders.

Once again, they passed _Eeylops Owl Emporium_ and Lily felt a pang of longing for the barn owl at the window. She made a quick decision that if there was enough money left, she would buy that owl.

A family of four was standing at the counter when they walked into the shop.

"For the last time, Regulus!" The mother snapped in frustration. "You're too young to get a wand; you'll have to wait until next year." The small boy with black hair pouted.

"But Sirius gets to have a wand!" He complained. The taller boy rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Sirius is going to Hogwarts this year," The woman reminded her son. "Your time will come, don't worry." Ollivander handed Sirius a box.

"There you are Mr. Black. Take good care of it." Sirius nodded not really listening to the older man. He was busy admiring his new wand.

"Come, we must be on our way," The father said ushering the family out. "We still need to get the school books." The family passed the Snapes and Lily. Sirius looked up and his grey eyes met Lily's for a brief second; he grinned and winked at her before following his family out the door.

"Ah hello," Ollivander said happily walking over to them. His gaze fell to Eileen's wand.

"Let's see," He said taking the wand from her and studying it carefully. "11 and 3 quarters, holly, unicorn hair and slightly swishy. I recall selling this wand 26 years ago to a young witch by the name of Eileen Prince." Lily and Severus looked at each other in shock. Eileen just smirked and took her wand back.

"Yes you're right. However I'm Eileen Snape now." Ollivander furrowed his brow and thought for a moment.

"I don't recall ever selling a wand to a Snape before; did he get his wand from someone else?" Eileen laughed.

"No, my husband is a Muggle." Ollivander nodded and turned his attention to Lily and Severus.

"Are these your children?" He asked.

"Severus is my son, but this is Lily Evans; she's a neighbor and a good friend of Severus'."

"Getting ready to go to Hogwarts then I presume?" The kids nodded.

"Right, then who wants to go first?" Lily and Severus looked at each other and Severus shrugged.

"I will." Ollivander took a measuring tape and began measuring Severus from head to foot. When he had finished taking measurements, he walked over to a shelf and started pulling out boxes.

"No….no…..no…." He muttered to himself as he searched. He found the box he was looking for and handed it to Severus.

"Try this one; it's 10 and a half, ash, dragon heart string and slightly stiff." Severus took it and waved it around; nothing happened.

Five wands later, Severus finally found a match. The wand was 9 and a half, birch wood, dragon heart string and springy.

"Now for you Miss Evans," Ollivander said once again bringing out the measuring tape.

It took almost as long for Lily to find her wand. Hers ended up being 10 and a quater, Willow, unicorn hair and swishy.

"Great for charm work," Ollivander said as he put her wand back in the box. Eileen paid for their wands and they headed for _Flourish and Blotts_.

After buying everything else they needed Lily (with help from Severus) counted the money she had left.

"Do you think that this is enough to buy an owl?" Lily asked him. Severus shrugged.

"Let's find out." They managed to convince Eileen to take a detour to _Eeylops Owl Emporium_.

"What kind of owl do you have in mind, dear?" Eileen asked. Lily pointed to the owl in the display.

"I want that one." After briefly talking to the man at the counter, he led them to a section of the room that contained several barn owls. Lily looked at them, but none of them caught her eye like the one at the display window. Severus, however, couldn't take his eyes off a solid black Barn Owl that had perched itself far away from the other owls.

"That one is my pride and joy," The man said noticing the owl Severus was looking at, "She's very rare, that one. I've had a hard time trying to sell her though; it seems her dark look doesn't seem very appealing to the customers." Severus gazed sadly at the owl; he wished that he could afford it.

Lily seemed to have read his mind.

"I'll buy her for you, Sev." Severus' eyes grew huge.

"No, Lily. I can't let you spend your money on me." Lily shook her head stubbornly.

"I insist. I've got enough money to buy two owls. Just think of it as an early birthday present." Eileen frowned.

"Lily I really don't think-"

"If Severus wants that owl then I think he should have it," Lily said crossing her arms and turning to the man. "I'll take that black one and the one in the display window."

Five minutes later, Lily and Severus proudly carried their new owls and followed Eileen, who was carrying everything else.

"I can't thank you enough, Lily," Severus said happily. The redhead grinned at her best friend and looked down at their owls.

"We need names for them." Severus nodded and studied his owl carefully.

"What about Clove?" Lily stared at the owl thoughtfully.

"I like it. Clove the black barn owl." She turned to her own owl, who was staring up at her with large yellow eyes.

"I'll have to think on her name," Lily said. Severus tilted his head and studied it.

"She looks so...serene," He commented. Lily's eyes lit up.

"What about Serenity?" Severus nodded.

"That seems to fit her nicely."

Suddenly, two boys burst out of _Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop_ laughing hysterically. One boy was Sirius Black from the wand shop, but Lily didn't recognize the other boy. He had messy black hair that stood up at the back and round hazel eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. The boys were followed by a very red faced man. He stood at the door and shook his fists at the trouble makers.

"Don't come back!" He shouted at them and then walked inside, slamming the door behind him. Lily watched curiously as the two boys shook hands and talked excitedly to each other.

"James Cornelius Potter!" A woman shouted stomping past Lily and straight for the two boys. The boy with the glasses quickly looked down as the woman started scolding him.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" The woman from the wand shop ran up to Sirius and grabbed him by his ear.

"HOW DARE YOU RUN OFF FROM ME?" She snarled, turning briskly and walking off, dragging the poor boy behind her.

Lily and Severus looked at each other and laughed. Eileen shook her head in amusement.

"Come on you two, it's time we went back." They reluctantly followed Eileen back to the Leaky Cauldron, and back towards home.

****Author's Note****

Ok, before you ask, I know that Tom calls Eileen by her maiden name instead of Snape. In the Wizard World they still refer to her as Madam Prince because it's her known title. Chapter 3 coming up soon. If anyone is bothering to read this far I give you a big thanks. It gets better trust me. If you're a Severus/Lily fan the first four years at Hogwarts are for you. Sorry James/Lily fans, you'll have to wait until 6th year for any romance, but I hope it will be worth the wait; I'm working on a few scenes right now and I think it's going to be good.

Until next time,

~Anna~


	3. Friends and Foes

****Quick Note****

I do not own some of the dialogue in parts of this chapter. I took a few of the scenes from The Prince's Tale in _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ (the book not the movie) and did a little improvising to make them in Lily's point of view. I've put a * at the scenes that were taken from the book. With that said, here's the 3rd chapter. I hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

><p>*"I'm sorry Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen—" Lily grabbed her sister's hand tightly as Petunia tried to pull away. They were standing at Platform 9 and 3 quarters. Wizards and witches bustled around the two girls; Lily's parents were standing just a few feet away trying to take in everything around them. Severus and his mother were standing somewhere in the crowd of people saying their goodbyes.<p>

Petunia had stopped talking to Lily earlier that morning and desperate to make things right again between her and her sister; the small redhead was begging Petunia to listen to reason.

"Maybe once I'm there—no Tuney, listen!" Lily begged as Petunia tried to pull away again. "Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"

"I don't—want—to—go!" Petunia snapped wrenching her hand out of Lily's grasp. "You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a—a—." She stopped and looked disapprovingly at the children running in every direction; a few students had already changed into their long black school robes. Wizards in blue uniforms were taking people's trunks for them and loading them onto the scarlet steam engine.

"—you think I want to be a—a freak?" Lily gasped at her sister. Her eyes started filling up with tears; is that what Petunia really thought of her, a freak?

"I'm not a freak," Lily said trying to fight her tears. "That's a horrible thing to say!"

"That's where you're going," Petunia snarled. "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety." The comment stung Lily; she felt hurt that her own sister would think these things about her.

She suddenly grew angry; hadn't Petunia written a letter to Dumbledore just the other day? She had practically begged the headmaster to let her come with Lily to Hogwarts. She and Severus had read the letter that Dumbledore wrote back to Petunia. Lily frowned as she tried to recall what he'd written her sister.

_Dear Ms. Petunia Evans,_

_I understand your reason for wanting to join your sister at Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, I'm afraid that it just cannot be. You see, the subjects we teach at Hogwarts are strictly for witches and wizards who have magic in their blood and since you are non-magic it wouldn't be affective for you to attend. I hope that you understand and please don't be upset about this. I'm sure that in the future you will be great in the non-magic world and I wish you well._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

The letter had been very polite, and Lily had great respect for the older wizard. He had taken the time to write to a Muggle child when he could have been doing something more important. It just made Lily more enthusiastic to get to Hogwarts.

Lily quickly glanced at her parents to make sure they weren't listening and turned back to Petunia with fire in her eyes. She lowered her voice so only her sister could hear.

"You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you." Petunia's pale hazel eyes grew huge and her face turned scarlet.

"Beg? I didn't beg!"

"I saw his reply. It was very kind," Lily shot back coldly.

"You shouldn't have read—" Petunia whispered; her fury was causing her to stutter. "That was my private—how _could_ you?" Lily sheepishly glanced over at Severus, who was watching the two girls talk with interest. Petunia gasped.

"That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!" Lily tried to defend herself, although she knew that she was every bit guilty.

"No—not sneaking," She hastily tried to explain. "Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal services who take care of—"

"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" Petunia cut in turning pale with fury.

"_Freak!" _She spat at Lily before turning and walking back to their parents. Lily stared after her with her mouth open in shock. How could her sister be so cruel? Did Petunia _really_ hate her?*

Hot angry tears filled her eyes as she grabbed Serenity's cage and her trunk and slowly walked to the train just as it whistled. A nice middle aged wizard took her trunk for her and helped her board the train. There was only one empty compartment left and she quickly took a seat at the window.

Petunia hated her; she'd seen it in her sister's eyes. Petunia would never forgive her for snooping around in her room. It was all Severus' fault; he was the one who went in her room first. Lily had just followed him to make sure he didn't break anything. The tears were gathering faster now, and Lily just gave up and let them fall; she was alone anyway, what did it matter?

So caught up in her misery, she almost didn't notice the compartment door open. She casted a half glance at two boys who were laughing as they walked in.

"Is it alright if we sit here?" One boy asked; Lily recognized him to be Sirius Black; the other boy was James Potter. Lily shrugged half-heartedly and turned her gaze back to the window hoping that they would get the message and leave her be.

Fortunately for her, they didn't pay her any mind and continued their conversation.

"I can't wait to get to Hogwarts!" James said excitedly. "Imagine all the spells we'll get to learn!"

"And all the secret passages to explore!" Sirius added. James grinned at his new friend.

"You're alright mate," He said clapping Sirius on the back. "What do you say we have a go at the Great Hall tonight? I managed to sneak some dungbombs into my trunk when my Mum wasn't looking." Sirius grinned mischievously.

"Count me in!" They excitedly started hatching a plan, and Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes. She would never understand boys. Growing bored of listening to their chatter, Lily pressed her face against the windowpane and watched the scenery go by.

*Snape entered the compartment a few minutes later; he'd already changed into his school robes. The boys didn't pay him any mind as he walked in and took a seat in front of Lily. She glanced up, and seeing who it was, frowned and looked back out the window.

"I don't want to talk to you," She said quietly; her voice was constricted from crying earlier. Snape tilted his head and frowned at her.

"Why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore." James and Sirius glanced curiously at the couple as they talked. They knew better than to ease drop, but the conversation seemed very interesting to the two boys.

"So what?" Severus asked in a bored tone. Petunia had always hated him, so it didn't matter to him what she thought. Lily didn't seem to share the same feelings about it.

"So she's my sister!" She snapped narrowing her eyes at him.

"She's only a—" He caught himself before he said Muggle. Lily was trying to wipe away her tears without anyone noticing and Severus quickly decided to change the subject.

"But we're going!" He said enthusiastically in an attempt to cheer up his friend. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" Lily looked up at him and smiled, mopping the rest of the tears off her face. Snape felt relieved; for a minute he'd thought that she would quit talking to him. He began to relax a bit and grinned back at the redhead.

"You'd better be in Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" James, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, could no longer contain himself.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave don't you?" James turned to Sirius expecting his friend to agree with him. However, Sirius looked offended.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," He said frowning. James raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

"Blimey," He said trying to make light of the hole he'd just dug himself into. "And I thought you seemed all right!" He teased. Sirius grinned.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" James pretended to wave an invisible sword.

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad." Severus snorted in amusement. James glared at him.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No," Severus sneered. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—"

"Where're you hoping to go since you're neither?" Sirius retorted. James roared with laughter. Lily stood up and glared at them.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." She turned and opened the door; Severus was right behind her.

"Oooooooo…" James and Sirius mocked, imitating Lily's voice. As Severus walked passed, James tried to trip him.

"See ya, Snivellus!" He called as Severus angrily shut the door behind him.* James and Sirius laughed and then started working on their scheme again.

"Don't let them get to you Sev," Lily said as they tried to find another compartment. "There is nothing wrong with being in Slytherin if that's what you want." Severus huffed but didn't reply. They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Let's go in here," Lily said suddenly; she'd just caught a glimpse of Remus Lupin sitting in one of the compartments. If she had to sit somewhere she'd rather sit with people she knew. Severus shrugged and opened the door.

"Is it alright if we sit in here?" Lily asked. She immediately recognized Peter Pettigrew sitting between Remus and another girl with strawberry blonde hair. A girl with long black hair sat beside the blonde, reading a book.

"Hi Lily," Remus greeted, recognizing her at once. "I think there's enough room for both of you." Lily smiled gratefully and took a seat beside Remus; Severus sat across from her.

"This is Willa Darcel," Remus said pointing to the blonde.

"I go by Will, though."

"That's Alice Murray," Remus continued, ignoring Willa. The girl with black hair smiled politely before going back to the book she was engrossed in.

"And that's Peter Pettigrew," Remus concluded.

"We've already met," Peter said shyly. "Severus' Mum and my Mum are good friends." Severus nodded in acknowledgement but didn't say anything.

"That's Remus Lupin," Lily quickly explained to Severus. "I met him at Madam Malkins."

"What are your names?" Willa asked.

"I'm Lily Evans," said Lily; she pointed to Severus, "this is Severus Snape. You'll have to forgive his rudeness; he's still fuming over the conversation we had with Black and Potter." Alice looked up from her book and raised her eyebrows.

"I heard that those two were hanging out. That's a very peculiar friendship." Lily looked at Alice curiously.

"Why's that?" Alice raised her eyebrows further up.

"Everyone knows that the Blacks and the Potters despise each other. They've been enemies for years. The Blacks are supporters of You—Know—Who and the Potters are against _all_ Dark Magic. It's just peculiar that a Black and a Potter would be friends." Lily was very confused. She looked at Severus for help, but he stared straight ahead not wanting to meet her gaze.

"Sorry, I'm a little confused," Lily confessed blushing slightly. "I don't know what you mean by You—Know—Who." All eyes, except for Severus', turned on Lily in shock. Then realization hit Remus.

"Um, are you Muggle-born?" He asked uncertainly. Severus shot him a look and Lily nodded slowly.

"Oh," Willa said with an unconcerned shrug. "Well, You—Know—Who is a Dark Wizard who's giving the Ministry of Magic a hard time right now. He's got a group of followers that are called Death Eaters; they've been terrorizing the Wizarding World for a couple of years now."

"My Mum's friend, Douglas McCarther, tried to form a group against You—Know—Who ," Peter piped up unhelpfully. "A few days later they found him and his whole family dead at their home. The Dark Mark was hovering above their house. His daughter, Cynthia, was supposed to go to Hogwarts this year too."

This information was very new to Lily; Severus had never told her anything about a Dark Wizard before. Now that Lily thought about it, Severus had _never_ told her any bad things about the Magic World. A small bit of fear settled itself in Lily's gut; what on Earth had she gotten herself into? She had just left the safety of her home and the Muggle World to go to a mysterious world that she hardly even knew. Was that why Severus never told her about the bad stuff, because he thought she would be too afraid to go to Hogwarts with him?

Noticing Lily's unease, Remus spoke up.

"We'll be safe at Hogwarts," He assured her. "You—Know—Who is afraid of Dumbledore. He would never even consider going near the school." That thought made Lily feel better. Deciding to change the subject, Willa leaned forward excitedly.

"So, what do you think the castle will look like?"

They chatted excitedly for the rest of the ride, only stopping to get some treats from the food cart and to change into their school robes. By the time they arrived at Hogwarts, Lily was more than ready to get off the train and see her new home.

That is, until she got a good look at the giant man who was escorting the 1st years over a lake that had a giant squid in it…..

* * *

><p>*"Evans, Lily!" Lily's heart pounded in her chest as her trembling legs carried her to the old rickety stool where Professor McGonagall stood holding the Sorting Hat. She'd just sat down and placed the hat on her head when the Sorting Hat announced,<p>

"_Gryffindor!" _Lily could barely make out a groan from Severus over the shouting from the Gryffindor table. She shakily stood and made the short trek to her new house, casting a sad look back to Severus before sitting down. A boy quickly made room for her and she turned to thank him before she realized it was Sirius Black. How he'd managed to get into Gryffindor was beyond her, but she was _not_ about to be nice to him.

She quickly turned her back on him; he frowned at her for a minute before shrugging it off and turning back to the sorting. Lily clapped politely when Remus, Alice and Peter joined the Gryffindors at the table. She ignored James completely as he proudly flounced his way over to Sirius.

_Come on Sev…._ Lily thought to herself as the roll call continued. She hoped that by some miraculous chance Severus would be placed into Gryffindor as well, but she was greatly disappointed when the Sorting Hat fell on his head and shouted,

"_Slytherin!_" He silently gave the hat back to Professor McGonagall and made his way over to the cheering Slytherins. A boy with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a gleaming Prefect Badge clapped Severus on the back, but Severus didn't smile.*

Lily let her head fall as she half-heartedly listened to Professor Dumbledore welcome everyone to a new school year at Hogwarts and the feast began. There was a large variety of food, but Lily didn't really feel like eating. She picked at her plate while everyone else around her chatted excitedly. Suddenly a ghost appeared beside her.

"Good evening," He greeted cheerfully. Severus had told Lily about the ghosts at Hogwarts, but she hadn't prepared to see one right beside her. She let out a startled yelp; catching unwanted attention to herself.

"H-hi," She replied, quickly recovering from her shock. James had taken interest in the ghost and suddenly exclaimed.

"I've heard of you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!" The ghost frowned at the name.

"I prefer Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington," He said sounding offended. Lily tilted her head to the side and studied the ghost.

"How can you be _nearly_ headless?" Nick sighed.

"Every year…" He mumbled to himself. "Like this." Lily gasped as Nick pulled at his head and it fell off, only hanging to his neck by a few pieces of skin.

"Cool!" Sirius said excitedly. Lily thought that she was going to vomit.

"What's wrong, Red?" James teased. "Not a fan of gore?" Before Lily could retort, Dumbledore stood up and the Great Hall fell silent.

"Before we head off to our rooms for the night I'd like to make some announcements. For those of you who are returning to Hogwarts, I ask that you be patient while I go over the rules for the new students." There were a few groans from the older students, but Dumbledore ignored them and continued.

"For those of you who do not know, the Forbidden Forest beside Hogwarts is, in fact, forbidden. I ask that no one enter the forest unless given permission by a Professor. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch has kindly taken the time to make a list of items that are banned from the castle; you can find that list on his office door." Someone at the Gryffindor table snorted in amusement.

"If anyone is interested in Quidditch, tryouts will be held at the end of next week. Please see Madam Hooch for more information. Please do not use magic in the halls and don't taunt the Giant Squid; we don't want a repeat of last year—" He glanced at the Gryffindor table; Lily followed his gaze and noticed that two 4th years were looking down at their feet.

"—And now some new information for all of the students. We have planted a Whomping Willow tree over the summer. As its name suggests, the Whomping Willow _will_ hurt you. We ask that you do not go near the tree under any circumstances." The room erupted with excited whispers. Dumbledore cleared his throat and the room became silent once more.

"With this said, I wish you all a good night. If the Prefects would please escort your 1st years, you've all been dismissed to go to your dorms."

"First years follow me!" A girl with short black hair called. Lily got up and joined the 1st years crowding around the girl.

"Is that everyone?" She asked counting heads. "Wait, I think we're missing tw—" A loud bang cut her off. All heads turned to the Slytherin table as they roared in surprise and anger. A smelly cloud of green smoke wafted through the Great Hall; someone had let off a dungbomb.

"_Gross_!" The Prefect girl exclaimed pinching her nose. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw James and Sirius sneak back to the group of 1st years. She rolled her eyes at them as they held their stomachs and laughed.

"Let's go!" The Prefect shouted hurrying out of the hall; Lily had to run to keep up with the girl and soon became lost in the sea of black robes as students ran out covering their noses.

"This way, Lily!" Remus said grabbing her arm; she'd almost started following the Hufflepuffs by mistake. Blushing madly, Lily quickly followed Remus the opposite direction and caught up with the group once more.

"That was very rude," She chastised Sirius and James as they followed the Prefect up several stair cases. The boys tried to look innocent.

"What did we do?" James asked; he would have looked convincing if it weren't for the gleam in his eyes.

"You know _exactly_ what you did!" Lily hissed. "Don't think I didn't notice when you snuck off to the Slytherin table earlier."

"Oy, Red," James hissed back. "Do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut." Lily glared at him angrily.

"Are you _threatening_ me?" She demanded. James shrugged.

"You can think of it like that if you want too, Red."

"Stop calling me Red!" Lily snapped hotly. "My name is Lily Evans." James was about to say something sarcastic when the line of 1st years suddenly stopped and he ran into Alice.

"Oy! Watch it, Potter!"

"Sorry Murray," James said quickly.

"Everyone gather around," The Prefect ordered. There was a lot of pushing and shoving as the 1st years tried to get to where they could see. A boy Prefect had joined the girl now; he was dark skinned and very tall compared to the petite girl standing beside him.

"I'm Amrita Patil; this is Kingsley Shacklebolt. I hope you were paying attention and know how to find your way back here again. This—" She paused and motioned behind her to a large portrait of a rather plump woman in a pink silk dress calmly studying each student.

"—is the fat lady. She is the entrance to our Common Room. She won't let you in unless you know the password so listen up and remember this. The password is _Wizzbee_. If you want to get in you _have_ to know that password."

"Also," Kingsley spoke up, "the password changes every so often. We will announce when it has changed so stay alert when you hear us making announcements in the Common Room." Peter groaned softly from behind Lily; she turned and gave him a reassuring smile as the Prefects led them into the Common Room.

"The boy's dorms are on the left; the girls are on the right. No boys are allowed in the girl's dorms and vice versa. No one is allowed in the Common Room after curfew and please remember to respect students who are trying to study, any questions?" They shook their heads.

"Good, if you have any problems just let us know." With that, they walked off leaving the 1st years by themselves. Lily followed Alice and Willa upstairs to their room. She found her trunk by a bed in front of the window. Serenity was perched on top of the canopy fast asleep.

Two more girls walked in giggling. The taller girl had long brown curly hair tied back in a ponytail and dark brown eyes. The other girl was a little shorter than Lily with short wavy brown hair and round hazel eyes.

"Hello," Alice greeted sitting on her bed as the two girls searched for their trunks.

"Hi," they said in unison.

"I guess we're all roommates then, eh?" Will asked pulling her dressing gown out of her trunk.

"Looks like it," the taller girl replied. "I'm Lynnette Carver, by the way, and that's Mary MacDonald." Mary smiled politely to everyone as she walked over to the bed beside Lily.

"I'm Alice Murray. That's Willa Darcel (she goes by Will) and Lily Evans." The girls exchanged greetings and began getting ready for bed.

"Do any of you snore?" Lynnette asked looking worried. Mary, Lily and Alice shook their heads.

"I've never stayed awake long enough to find out," Willa replied sarcastically. The girls laughed and settled in for the night.

* * *

><p>"<em>What?"<em> Several 1st years exclaimed angrily. Severus stood silently and glared at the Slytherin Prefects as they sneered at the younger students.

"You heard us, only worthy Slytherins are allowed inside the Common Room. That's our rules; if you want the password you have to pass our test."

"What's the test?" A Slytherin girl asked; her fierce amber eyes bored into Lucius Malfoy's cold beady black eyes.

"You have to stay out all night and not get caught," Narcissa Black announced. There were several gasps and angry mutters. Severus boldly walked over and stood in front of the Prefects.

"I take it that this rule was just put in place this year," He said coldly. "And only for _your_ enjoyment." Lucius smirked.

"So what if it was? We're Prefects and what we say goes. Have a nice night kiddies. Now _scram!_" Most of the 1st years quickly hurried away to find someplace to hide till morning. Severus took one final look at Lucius and Narcissa before slowly walking away. Fury was growing in him as the Prefects laughed.

"I love our job," He heard Narcissa say gleefully.

"Look at them run! The twerps." Severus turned a corner and stopped. He was getting into that Common Room tonight even if he had to jinx the older Slytherins out of his way! Stealthily, he waited until Lucius and Narcissa stopped laughing and turn to the statue. He silently crept up behind him just as Lucius said the password and walked through the hole. An evil grin spread over Severus' face as he waited a few minutes to make sure that the Prefects wouldn't be near the entrance.

Footsteps from behind told him that he wasn't alone. He turned and saw the girl who had spoken earlier.

"Did you get the password?" She asked. Severus nodded and she grinned.

"I don't suppose you'd mind relying that information onto me would you?" Severus shook his head.

"I'm Darcy Walesa, by the way. Who are you?"

"Severus Snape."

"Well, Snape. Are you going to just stand out here all night, or are you going to say the password so we can get to our rooms?" Severus grinned and turned to the statue.

"Parsel Tongue."

* * *

><p>"Well I guess it's just us four," James said plopping down on his bed next to Sirius.<p>

"Yeah," Remus replied lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. Peter said nothing as he grabbed his pajamas and jumped onto his bed.

"I don't think we've met," Sirius said to Remus and Peter, "I'm Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin," Remus replied glancing sideways at Peter. "That's Peter Pettigrew; he doesn't talk much." Realizing that the boys were looking at him, Peter blushed and gave a quick nod in acknowledgement before closing his curtains for the night.

"I'm James Potter," James said. An amused smile made its way on Remus' lips.

"A Potter and a Black hanging out together, eh? I almost didn't believe Lily when she told me on the train earlier." James scowled.

"You mean that Evans girl? She's really nosey. Are you friends with her?"

"Her name is Lily, and she's not that bad if you give her a chance."

"As long as she doesn't rat on us, I don't care," Sirius replied haughtily. Remus raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any more on the subject.

"Just out of curiosity, how did you two meet anyway?" Remus asked James and Sirius. The boys grinned mischievously.

"We met at Diagon Alley," Sirius explained. "We both snuck away from our parents and went to the joke shop; we started talking to one another at a display case. James made the comment about how grumpy the shop owner was and we decided to lighten him up a bit." Remus couldn't help but roll his eyes as James picked up where Sirius left off.

"We set off a few exploding toys and the shop keeper ran us out. It was bloody hilarious!"

"The whole time we didn't even know each other's names. I have to admit that I was _very_ shocked when James' mother ran up and called him a Potter."

"Then Sirius' mother grabbed him by his ear!" Sirius rubbed his ear and scowled.

"It hurt too! That old bat will be the death of me yet!" Remus shook his head in amusement as James and Sirius excitedly chatted away. He pulled his curtains around himself and settled in for the night; he had a feeling that this would be a _very_ interesting year.

*****Author's Note*****

Hoped you liked Chapter 3. Once again I'd like to mention that some scenes (it's mostly dialogue) were taken from _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_. If you've never read that book you need too! It's my favorite HP book besides _The Prisoner of Azkaban. _It doesn't count if you've only watched the movie; the book has way better details. Glad to get that off my chest. :) If anyone is reading this out there, how am I doing? Write a review and let me know. Did you notice any spelling or grammar mistakes, or maybe bad use of words? (I'm known for doing that; that's a problem with living in the South, no one talks properly down here.) I'm also not very good with British vocabulary; everything I know I got from TV shows, video games and books so if you see any words that need to be changed or sayings that don't make sense please let me know.

Special thanks to my readers,

Anna :D


	4. Sirius' Howler and Lily's First Potion

"You're late," Professor McGonagall said impatiently. James Potter leaned against the door frame trying to catch his breath.

"S-sorry, Professor, we—ooof!" He was cut off as Sirius Black ran into him from behind. The class laughed as the boys crashed to the floor.

"Whatd'cha stop for?" Sirius complained.

"Ger-off me!" James huffed. Sirius scrambled up and helped his friend to his feet.

"As amusing as this is, boys. You're still late, and now you've disrupted my class." McGonagall scolded putting her hands on her hips as she waited for their explanation.

"We're sorry, Professor. We got lost, and this stupid painting told us to follow him and we got even more lost." James quickly explained.

"We finally got a ghost to give us directions." Sirius concluded finally able to catch his breath. McGonagall pursed her lips.

"Well it _is_ you first day…" She began. James and Sirius looked up at her hopefully.

"I'll tell you what; I won't take house points away from you." They sighed in relief.

"However, I want both of you to write me an essay on the importance of time management; one parchment, front and back. It's to be turned into me by tomorrow morning, no excuses." The grins on their faces quickly vanished as the boys shuffled to the only available seats left. Right behind Lily, to her disgust.

"As I was saying before we were interrupted," McGonagall said turning her attention to the class. "My name is Professor McGonagall and just in case you're lost, this is Transfiguration class." James scowled as he grabbed some parchment and a quill from his bag.

"I expect a lot out of my students," McGonagall continued. "However, if you give me your best effort I will be somewhat lenient with your grades, but you must _prove_ to me that you've done all that you can do." Peter sighed with relief and sat up from his slouched position in the seat.

"Transfiguration is a difficult magic to master, but well worth it in the end. If you would, please turn to page 10 in your textbooks and we will start with the basics."

* * *

><p>"This is rubbish," Sirius growled angrily as he and James took seats at the Gryffindor table. "So far, we have to write an essay for McGonagall and have detention with Blakewood tomorrow night for accidently hitting that Ravenclaw with an ink bottle in Defense Against Dark Arts, and we've only been to two classes today!"<p>

"Well look on the brightside," James said trying to cheer up his friend. "We have History of Magic next and the Professor is a ghost, so I don't think he will give out any punishments."

Mary glanced up curiously, "One of our teachers is a ghost?" James and Sirius stared at her in shock.

"Of course he is! How could you _not_ know that?" Sirius asked. "He's been teaching since Hogwarts started. Surely you've heard you parents talk about him!" Mary narrowed her eyes at him.

"My parents are Muggles." Sirius turned red in embarrassment.

"Oh, I see—er, please forget that I said anything." Mary scowled and turned back to her food.

"Blimey," James muttered to his friend, "tough crowd." Sirius nodded in agreement and they quickly ate their lunch in silence.

Lily was bent over a piece of parchment quickly scribbling a letter to her parents. She was supposed to have sent her parents an owl last night, but after all the excitement it had completely left her mind. Quickly reading over it, Lily deemed it good enough and put the letter in her bag; she would send it later. After a brief hesitation, she reluctantly wrote a letter to Petunia as well. Maybe her sister had forgiven her by now; she could only hope.

Remus was sitting across from Lily trying to hide the sudden pain that had shot up his back. He stared at his sandwich and grimaced as the pain slowly went away. It would be a full moon in just three nights…

Lily glanced up from her letter and frowned at him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Remus lied. "I just realized what was in the sandwich I'm eating." Lily put her hand to her mouth and started giggling.

"Not a fan of chicken salad?" She asked. Remus shook his head and put the sandwich down.

"You've ate over half of it," Lily commented. "Lost in thought, are you?" Remus nodded not sure what to say to that. He hadn't expected her to be so observant. He waited for her to start bombarding him with questions, but the redhead only gave him a tiny smile and looked sadly at her letter.

"I know the feeling…"

* * *

><p>Lily had never found it so difficult to stay awake in a class before; she felt like beating her head on her desk as Professor Binns droned on and on. What was he even talking about anyway? She'd stopped paying attention half an hour ago when James and Sirius started playing exploding snap with Alice and Will.<p>

"You cheated!" James accused pointing a finger at Alice. She rolled her eyes.

"I didn't cheat; you just don't know how to play your cards right." This resulted into a heated argument that lasted through the rest of the class period.

"That no good, arrogant, annoying…toerag!" Alice fumed angrily as the girls headed for Charms. Lily rolled her eyes as they turned a corner. She suddenly caught sight of Severus and waved; he waved back not as enthusiastically. Lynnette looked at Lily curiously.

"Who was that Slytherin?" She asked.

"My friend, Severus," Lily replied casually.

"How do you two know each other anyway?" asked Will. "I meant to ask you that on the train yesterday."

"We live near each other," Lily explained. "He's the one who told me everything I know about the Magic World."

"It must be tough having a friend in your rival house," Alice commented. Lily shrugged.

"We'll manage."

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Charms!" Professor Flitwick greeted his class warmly as the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors took their seats. Lily leaned over and grabbed some parchment out of her bag as the tiny Professor began pacing at the front of the room.<p>

"You will find that Charms is a little easier than Transfiguration, but it is just as important so I expect you to try your best in this class. Charms make up most of the magic you use in day-to-day life and it's my job to make sure you can master it efficiently."

Lily was surprised at how well she performed in that class. She was the first witch to get her feather into the air; Remus had been the first in the class. Flitwick had been very pleased with the two Gryffindors and gave their house 20 points. Lily walked out of the classroom with a small skip in her step.

"That Evans is a know-it-all," Sirius complained as he and James grouchily headed for Potions.

"You're just jealous because she could make the feather levitate and you couldn't," Remus replied walking up from behind them. The two boys rounded on him.

"I wasn't talking to you, Lupin." Sirius snapped irritably. Remus was about to retort when the searing pain shot up his back again; he closed his mouth quickly and hurried away praying that no one had noticed him flinch.

James and Sirius looked at each other.

"What'd you suppose that was all about?" James asked; Sirius shrugged and they continued walking in silence.

* * *

><p>Lily plopped onto her bed that night and gave a tired sigh. It had been a very long first day. Luckily, they didn't have any homework, although the Professors had warned them that their nights of freedom would be short lived.<p>

Lily was very disappointed that the only class she had with Severus was potions; she'd hardly got to see him all day. They had been unable to get a conversation in during Slughorn's lecture, and he'd slipped away before she could talk to him at dinner; she wondered how his first day of school had been.

A tap above her head startled her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Clove staring at her through the window. Lily scrambled up and opened the window just enough for the sleek black Barn Owl to come through. She hooted affectionately and held her leg out to Lily; Severus had written her a letter.

She relieved Clove of her burden and the owl swooped up to the canopy to perch at Serenity's spot. Lily had sent Serenity to her house to deliver the letters she'd written earlier that day, and the white Barn Owl had yet to return.

"Whose owl is that?" Mary asked getting into her bed.

"Severus'," Lily replied unfolding the letter. Alice snorted.

"You're sending owls now?" Lily shrugged.

"We didn't get a chance to talk today." Alice was about to say something else, but shrugged it off and got under her covers. Lily pulled her curtains closed and read Severus' letter.

_Sorry I ran off at dinner. I—er, had some things to take care of. I hope you enjoyed your first day; it's just like I told you it would be, isn't it? I'm doing fair; it would be better if I didn't have to put up with Malfoy (he's one of our Prefects.)It's a long story, but let's just say we're giving each other a hard time right now. Don't worry, though. Darcy and I have a plan. I hope you're having a great time and don't hesitate to hex Black and Potter if you need too._

_Write back,_

_Severus_

Lily wondered what Severus was going to do, but she was glad that he'd made a friend. She hoped that whatever he and Darcy were up too; they wouldn't get into trouble over it. She grabbed a piece of parchment and quill and wrote back to him, voicing her worry and asking him for more details about his friend, then giving him a brief summary of her day.

Satisfied with her letter, she pulled her curtains back and quietly called for Clove; the owl reluctantly left her perch and landed on Lily's arm.

"Take this back to Severus," She whispered tying the parchment to the black owl's leg. Clove hooted a farewell and disappeared into the night. Feeling better than she had all day, Lily got under her covers and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The Owl post came in early on the second day of Hogwarts. Thousands of owls flooded in through the windows to find their masters. James Potter looked up as his parents' owl, Noble, landed in front of him. The large Great Horned Owl hooted happily as James handed him a piece of meat. He stuck out his leg and revealed a piece of parchment tied to it.<p>

"Mail already?" James asked in surprise. "I've only been gone two days!" Beside him, Sirius chuckled.

"Looks like your parents are already missing you mate." James didn't reply and untied the letter. Noble gave one last hoot before taking to the skies again.

Sirius glanced over at the other Gryffindors; everyone seemed to be chatting excitedly and laughing, everyone that is, except for Lily Evans. A beautiful white barn owl was standing in front of her, affectionately nipping at her fingers as the redhead read the letter she'd just received. She seemed very downcast and Sirius thought he saw a few tears gathering in her eyes.

"Oy, Evans!" He called, "what's got you down today?" Lily looked up and glared at him.

"Mind your own business, Black!" Sirius shrugged and turned back to his food. He would never understand girls, he decided; you try to be nice and they just snap in your face.

Suddenly, a red envelope landed on his plate. Sirius froze and stared dumbly at it before glancing up and seeing his family owl, Salem, staring back at him. The Screech Owl hooted expectantly, waiting for his master to give him a treat. However, Salem never got his reward because Sirius quickly jumped up and ran out of the Great Hall with the letter cursing to himself as he went.

Lily had watched the whole scene with fascination. She wasn't sure what that letter was, but judging by Sirius' reaction it wasn't something good. Several others had seen as well and were watching Sirius run away with a look of pity on their faces; some were laughing.

On the other side of the room at the Slytherin table, sisters, Bellatrix and Narcissa Black, were looking very smug. Their youngest sister, Andromeda, kept her eyes down and slowly ate her food. She felt horrible for their cousin, Sirius.

Lily poked Alice in the back and raised her eyebrows.

"What's going on?" Alice's eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Sirius just got a Howler." Lily blinked in confusion.

"A what?" Before Alice could answer, a horrible noise coming from outside the Great Hall echoed through the room. A woman's voice could clearly be heard over the noise in the Great Hall. Words like, "SIRIUS BLACK!", "ASHAMED," "GOOD FOR NOTHING," "GRIFFYNDOR," "DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY NAME," and several curse words reached Lily's ears. Her mouth dropped open and the Slytherin table roared with laughter. People glanced around and continued to eat.

"That's a Howler," Alice explained before turning her attention back to her food. Lily frowned and started picking at her plate; she'd lost her appetite.

Sirius never came back to the Great Hall that morning.

* * *

><p>Slughorn flicked his wand and a list of ingredients that the class would need appeared on the board.<p>

"If everyone would please turn to page 26 in their textbooks you may begin." Lily began copying down the ingredients as Severus turned to the page and began to read.

"This isn't right," He muttered to Lily. She glanced up and frowned.

"What isn't right?"

"These directions, they're not right." Lily looked at Severus quizzically.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Mum makes this potion all the time and I help her with it," He explained. "I know for a fact that you're supposed to use red moss, not green. It will make the color and texture slightly different, which isn't bad if you're just experimenting, but it won't be as appealing to people if you want them to drink it." He paused and read more before snorting in disgust.

"What now?" Lily asked curiously.

"I can't believe that they left out the rat toenails! That's the part that gets rid of coloring. If you don't use them then the person who drinks it could turn green." Lily wrinkled her nose.

"Ewwwww! Really?" Severus nodded quickly jotting down footnotes and crossing out things in his textbook.

"Alright, Lily, we're going to make this potion the right way. It will be the best potion in the room." He quickly made his own list of ingredients. "Here, find this stuff while I get the cauldron ready." Lily jumped up and walked to the supply cabinet. She wondered if they would get scolded for not following the directions exactly, but she really wanted her first potion to be good and Severus seemed to know what he was doing.

Remus walked up beside her and started going down his list making sure that he got everything. Lily noticed that he was starting to get dark circles under his eyes. He raised an eyebrow curiously at Lily when she grabbed rat toenails. She shrugged at him and walked back to her seat.

Two tables away, James and Sirius were pouring over their textbook. Neither of them had the slightest idea where to start.

"I guess we just throw everything in and hope for the best," Sirius suggested half-heartedly. This seemed like a good idea to James and the two boys started tossing in their ingredients.

"Oy, look over at Evans," James said suddenly. Sirius glanced over at the redhead and frowned when he saw who her partner was.

"What's a Gryffindor doing with a Slytherin?" James shrugged and the two watched Snape and Evans hard at work on their potion. Sirius snorted.

"They're just as bad as us," He said. "They're not even using the right ingredients." Neither of the boys was paying the slightest bit of attention to their own potion that was dangerously starting to bubble over the top. James caught the scent of smoke and looked over just in time to see their potion explode. Everyone shouted and ducked for cover.

A putrid smell filled the air as the students slowly got to their feet. An ugly brown liquid was on the walls and ceiling. Poor James and Sirius were still sitting where they were with dazed expressions on their faces. They were covered from head to toe in the smelly stuff.

"Um...I'm not an expert,"said James, trying to clean his glasses. "But I don't think that was supposed to happen." He and Sirius got a good look at each other and started laughing. Soon the whole classroom was roaring in laughter, including Professor Slughorn. With tears in his eyes, the Professor waved his wand and the liquid vanished.

"I'll give you boys half credit for the effort," He said to James and Sirius. "Does that sound fair to you?" The boys nodded.

"Next time please follow the directions step-by-step." James and Sirius slumped in their seats looking sour while the rest of the class went back to work.

"Do you have those quills chopped yet, Lily?" Severus asked as he slowly stirred the potion clockwise.

"Yes, do you want them now?" Lily asked holding up the quills. He nodded and she carefully dropped them in. The potion turned from an ugly brown to a beautiful shade of orange.

"Very lovely," Slughorn praised walking by. Lily and Severus grinned at each other and began to work on their last ingredient, the red moss.

"Pull at them like this," Snap instructed. Lily watched attentively as he carefully pulled at the top part. She copied him and he nodded in approval. They had just finished placing the moss in the potion and stirred it when Slughorn called time. He went to each table, carefully studying the potions and jotting down things on his clipboard. Sometimes he would give the students advice on how to make the potion better, but he didn't give any appraisal until he came to Remus and Peter's table.

"Very good boys!" He said after putting a sample into a glass. "But next time, Mr. Lupin, would you let Mr. Pettigrew do some of the work?" Several Slytherins snickered as Peter's face turned red in embarrassment. Slughorn made a few notes and moved to Lily and Severus' table. He took a sample of their potion and beamed.

"Amazing! I haven't seen anything like this in all my years of teaching! Very good you two; great partnership! 20 points to Slytherin and Gryffindor!" His praise shocked everyone in the room. Lily and Severus looked at each other in wonderment while everyone else around them started whispering.

Remus just stared at the two with interest; he wondered how they knew to use those different ingredients. James and Sirius had their mouths hanging wide open; they had thought for sure that they would have messed up their potion, but it was perfect. It just didn't make sense.

Slughorn dismissed the class and everyone filed out. Several Gryffindors and Slytherins glared at Lily and Severus as they walked by.

"I think we might have accidently made enemies," She whispered to Severus. He shrugged.

"They're just jealous. They'll get over it." Lily nodded in agreement, but as more people continued to give them glares she wondered if he was right.

* * *

><p>"Oy, Evans!" James called, catching up to Lily at the castle grounds as she headed for Herbology. Lily turned and frowned at him.<p>

"Yes, Potter?" Sirius caught up to Lily and James, and the two boys crossed their arms and glowered at her.

"How did you make that potion so perfect?" James demanded. "You weren't even looking at the directions."

"And why were you with a Slytherin?" Sirius asked. Lily glared at them and put her hands on her hips.

"And you two say that _I'm_ nosey! For your information, Severus Snape is _my friend_ and his Mum makes that potion all the time, so Sev knew how to make it! Now, are there any other personal questions you'd like to ask me, because I'd _like_ to get to Herbology before we're late." Her angry outburst startled the boys and left them speechless; she turned on her heels and walked away, James and Sirius reluctantly following after her.

* * *

><p>"I'm glad we're <em>finally<em> able to talk in peace," Lily said happily as she leaned against a tall shade tree and breathed in the wonderful scent of Fall. Severus nodded in agreement. They were sitting on the castle grounds near the lake that afternoon; their homework littering the ground around them as they chatted.

"So, is the situation with Malfoy any better?" Lily asked. Severus glared down at his shoes and shook his head.

"It's worse," He admitted. "Malfoy is a stuck up prat." Lily's gaze landed on James and Sirius a few yards away.

"I know what you mean."

"He thinks he's all high and mighty because he knows more spells than we do and he has a Prefect badge," Severus ranted. "But he's just a bloody Git who deserves to be hexed into next year."

"Didn't you say that you and Darcy are making a plan to get him back?" Severus' eyes lit up and an evil grin spread across his face.

"Oh, yes, we have a plan alright; a bloody good one at that. Lucius Malfoy and his friends won't know what hit them. We're still working on the details though; I'm not sure how long it will take before we can put the plan into action. Lily glanced up at the setting sun.

"I want to hear _all_ the details about it when you're done." Severus nodded and casted a sideways glance at the redhead.

"I—er, couldn't help noticing that you looked a little sad this morning at Great Hall, everything alright?" Lily's eyes looked down cast as she slowly pulled out her letter from Petunia.

"Tuney wrote back to me." Severus frowned at her.

"You sent her a letter? Why?" Lily glared at him and sat up so they were eye level.

"Because she's my _sister_, I thought that I could at least send her a polite letter without her blowing up at me!" Severus raised his eyebrows and took the letter from her.

"What did you write her?" Lily's eyes filled with tears.

"I _just_ told her that I was sorry for snooping around in her room, and I asked her to forgive me, that's all! I didn't mean to embarrass her; how should I know that her friend was spending the night? Serenity landed on her head! _I _didn't tell her to do that! Tuney thinks I did it on purpose and now she _really_ hates me!" Severus skimmed the letter and let out a low whistle; then he started laughing.

"I would _love_ to have seen that!" Lily scowled at him and jumped up, stuffing her homework back into her bag. Severus realized what she was doing and grabbed her arm.

"Wait, Lil! I'm sorry for laughing; I know that it must not seem funny to you." Lily crossed her arms and continued to scowl.

"I can never have a decent conversation about my sister with you, can I?" Severus blushed and looked down at his feet.

"Sorry." Lily stared at his guilty look and couldn't help but smile.

"It _does_ sound funny." Severus looked up at her and they both started laughing.

* * *

><p>"How'd you suppose Evans and Snape know each other?" James asked watching the couple as they walked across the grounds. It was getting dark, and the students were slowly making their way back inside.<p>

"They live in the same village," Remus explained walking beside James and Sirius; he was rubbing his temple and glancing up at the nearly full moon.

"How'd you know that?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I actually talk to them," Remus retorted, walking ahead of the other boys and hurrying towards the door. "Unlike you two who just talk about them behind their backs." This comment shut the other two boys up and they silently followed Remus back to the Common Room.

***Author's Note***

Special thanks to everyone whose reading this so far! I'm sorry if it seems a bit dull; hopefully it will pick back up soon. I'm currently revising chapter 5 and it should be posted sometime next week. I've started a new semester in school now, and I'm not sure what my work load is going to be like yet. I may not have as much time to work on this as I did before, but I'll update when I can. If you see any mistakes or have any good prank suggestions that James and Sirius can do, let me know. And I'm planning on making more scenes in Snape's POV.

*Quick Sneak Peek:

For the Marauder fans out there, don't worry; they will start hanging out in chapter 7 (let's just say there is a big prank involved.)

The big plan that Snape mentions will not happen until their 3rd year (Malfoy's last year at Hogwarts) and everything goes horribly wrong. That's all I'm going to say about it. If you want to know more then keep reading. :)

With all of this said, thanks for reading chapter 4. Knox!

~Anna~


	5. Lily and Peter Meet Hagrid and Fang

Fall had come and gone much too quickly for Lily's liking. She was sitting beside the window in the Common Room watching the snow fall outside. Christmas was in three weeks and that meant going home and facing Petunia. Lily had not bothered sending her sister another letter since the episode on her first week of school, and Petunia hadn't sent anything to her either. Lily had been tempted to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas break, but she knew that her parents would want her home.

With a long sigh, Lily shut her textbook. Charms homework could wait; she wanted to go outside and enjoy the snowy evening. She put everything back into her bag and hurried towards the stairs to get her coat. At that same moment, Peter jumped up from his table and the two collided.

"Ooof!"

"S-sorry, Lily!" Peter squeaked quickly getting off the dazed redhead as everyone in the Common Room laughed at them.

"It's alright Peter," Lily replied getting to her feet and dusting off her robes. "Where were you heading too in such a rush?" Peter blushed and looked down at his feet.

"I was about to go outside." Lily smiled at the small boy.

"I'm going outside too, care to join me?"

"Sure," Peter said shyly.

"Give me a minute to grab my coat." Lily turned and ran up the stairs.

"Oy, Pettigrew," James called smirking a little. "Looks like you've got a date with Evans." He and Sirius laughed as Peter's face turned red. Remus looked up from his book and frowned at James and Sirius.

"Leave him alone, will you?" James and Sirius gave Remus a mock salute.

"Yes sir, Master Lupin." Remus rolled his eyes and went back to his book; Peter gave him a grateful smile and turned to the stairs just as Lily was coming back down.

"Alright, let's go," She said ignoring James' and Sirius' snickering. Peter was more than happy to follow her. They left the Common Room and made their way down the winding hallways and endless staircases.

"I don't see how you know where you're going," Peter said as he tried to keep up with Lily. "I'm always getting lost."

"We've been in school for almost four months now," Lily said in surprise, "and you still don't know your way around?" Peter blushed madly.

"The hallways and staircases change so much," He complained. "I never know which direction I'm going half the time; I usually just walk with Remus." Lily studied him more carefully; she hadn't really paid much attention to the 1st year boys. Other than a few polite exchanges with Remus and Peter and occasional yells at James and Sirius, she really didn't speak to them much; they just seemed like they were from another world to her.

"Peter, why don't you talk that much?" She asked suddenly. The question took Peter off guard and he paused awkwardly before speaking.

"Er—I dunno….. I guess because I'm afraid that I'll say something wrong." Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

"So you'd rather not say anything at all?" Peter nodded and Lily frowned. Peter's self-esteem was very low; Lily wondered if he was picked on a lot back home.

"Peter, you shouldn't be afraid to talk. It doesn't matter if you say something wrong; you're not perfect. Everyone says something stupid once in a while. It's just a part of life. You correct yourself and move on; in a few weeks no one will even remember." Peter frowned and pondered on that; the two fell silent until they came to the castle grounds.

Lily gasped in delight when she got a good look around.

"It's beautiful out here!" The snow had stopped falling and left behind a white winter wonderland. The ground and trees were covered in a thick coat of snow; Lily bent down and made a ball of it in her gloved hand.

"It doesn't snow this much back home," She told Peter as she tossed a handful into the air and laughed as it covered them both. Peter was grinning broadly as he shook the snow out of his hair.

They walked towards the lake where a group of older students were having a snowball fight. Lily watched in amusement as a boy started running around covering his head while snowballs pelted him over and over again.

"Looks like someone put a charm on him," Lily observed. "I'd like to learn th— Ooof!" Something tackled her from behind. Peter let out a startled yelp and quickly backed away. Lily rolled over and came face-to-face with a large puppy. It barked happily and licked her nose.

"Fang! Yeh crazy mutt! Get off 'er!" Hagrid, the giant gamekeeper, shouted at the pup. Fang barked again and obediently backed up; Lily sat up dazed and then started laughing.

"Well, aren't you a cute puppy?" She said pulling off her glove and reaching out to pet him. Fang wagged his tail excitedly and licked her fingers.

"Fang, yeh leave tha' girl alone, yeh hear?" Hagrid scolded. Lily giggled.

"I don't mind, Hagrid," She said scratching Fang behind his ears. He rolled over onto his back and barked at her. Peter was watching the whole scene a few feet away; he wasn't sure if it was safe to come near the pup, or to the giant man for that matter. Lily noticed Peter's unease and grinned at him.

"Come on, Peter! He's friendly." He smiled shyly and slowly made his way over.

"When did you get the pup, Hagrid?" Lily asked; she hadn't recalled seeing Fang around the castle grounds before.

"Got'em jus' a few days ago," The giant said proudly. "This ere's a Boar Hound; he duttin look like much now, but when he's full grown he'll be abou' yer size." Peter and Lily raised their eyebrows. Lily looked back at Fang; he was already close to her knees in height.

"Yeh two busy?" Hagrid asked. "I was on meh way home teh make some tea. Wud yeh like teh join me?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," Lily said; she casted a sideways glance at Peter who was looking up at Hagrid uncertainly. He seemed torn between running away and staying with Lily.

"You don't have to go if you don't want too, Peter," Lily said to him. Peter bit his lip and took a determined breath.

"I'll come," He said mustering up all of his courage. Lily smiled at him proudly; he was beginning to overcome his shyness.

Hagrid beamed at them pleased that he was going to have some company.

"All righ' then, follow me." They followed Hagrid to his small hut on the far side of the castle grounds. Fang bounded happily beside them, sometimes licking Lily's fingers. Peter kept a wary eye on the giant man and the dog.

Lily had never been to Hagrid's hut before so she wasn't sure what to expect. Her mouth fell open when the giant opened the door and she got a good look inside. There was only one room in the hut; a bed was pushed against one side of the room beside the roaring fireplace. There was a large table with four chairs around it and a shelf for storage. Meat was strung from the ceiling and cages that housed several interesting creatures littered the floor.

"Wow, Hagrid. This is a—er, interesting place you have." Lily said trying to be polite. Hagrid beamed at the compliment.

"I try ter keep it in nice condition fer visitors. Take a seat at the table an' I'll get some tea a goin'." Lily and Peter took seats across from each other and stared around in awe.

"Hagrid, why do you have so many creatures?" Lily asked; eyeing something that looked oddly like a fairy, but was green and had a triangular shaped head.

"I like teh collect'em," Hagrid explained pouring tea into three mugs. "It's a lil' hobby of mine; someday I'd like teh get a dragon." Peter's eyes grew huge.

"A dragon?" He squeaked, "whatd'cha want with a dragon?" Hagrid's eyes lit up and he smiled dreamily.

"Oh wudnt it be wunderful, though? Jus' imagine…." Lily had learned about dragons in Defense Against Dark Arts, and from what she knew about them they wouldn't make very good pets. She and Peter exchanged glances, both having the same feeling on the matter. Hagrid offered them tea and they gratefully accepted.

"Let's see," Hagrid said changing the subject and studying Peter closely. "Yer Monte Pettigrew's boy, ain't yeh?" Peter swallowed and gave a tiny nod. Hagrid smiled and gazed into space.

"I remember em' well, yer Dad. Yeh know, yeh've got his blue eyes and blonde hair. Yer demeanor is jus' like em' too."

"I get that a lot," Peter said. Hagrid gave a long sigh.

"He was a good man; I remember escortin' em' cross the lake in his first year."

"Was?" Lily asked noticing the past tense. Peter looked down at his mug.

"My Dad died in a potion accident when I was two." Lily gasped in horror.

"Oh, Peter. I'm sorry, I didn't know!" He gave her a tiny smile.

"It's ok, Lily. Not many people know about my Dad." Lily looked sadly at the small, blonde haired boy; was that why he's so shy and scared, because he didn't have a father figure at home to show him how to be a man? Lily couldn't imagine not having her Father. Hagrid was looking at Lily curiously at the mention of her name.

"Are yeh Lily Evans?" He asked. Lily blinked at him in surprise and nodded. Hagrid grinned in amusement.

"I've heard all abou' yeh, Lily."

"From who?" She asked in confusion. She was Muggle-born so she knew that he wouldn't know her parents, and she was sure that none of her friends talked to Hagrid. Before the giant could reply, there was a knock on the door. Fang jumped up and barked excitedly.

Hagrid walked over and opened the door. Before he could stop him, Fang shot past and tackled the person standing outside.

"Ooof!"

"Cool! When did you get a dog, Hagrid?" Lily and Peter went rigid; they recognized that voice.

"Fang, get off of Sirius!" Hagrid scolded lifting the Boar Hound off the boy. "Hello yeh two, yer just in time fer tea." Hagrid held the door open for James and Sirius as they walked inside the hut; Sirius was dusting off snow as Fang excitedly bounded after them. James caught sight of Lily and stopped.

"Oh, sorry Hagrid, we didn't realize you already had guests." Sirius looked up and frowned.

"Yeah, we'll come back another time."

"No need," Lily said as politely as she could. "Peter and I were just leaving." Peter quickly jumped from his seat and waited for Lily to get up.

"Yeh don' have teh leave," Hagrid said looking a bit disappointed. Lily smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm afraid that we need to get back; we've stayed out longer than we'd intended too," She explained. "Thanks for the tea."

"Yer very welcome, come back any time."

"We will," Lily promised as she and Peter slipped out the door.

"So what's your pup's name?" Sirius asked.

"This ere's Fang, he's a Boar Hound." James' eyes grew big.

"They get _huge_ when they're fully grown!" He said excitedly. Hagrid grinned and poured two more cups of tea.

"So, I take it tha' yeh still don' get along very well with Lily," He said nodding towards the door where Lily and Peter had just exited from. James made a face.

"You could say that. She's still a nosey know-it-all," He complained.

"She keeps getting in our way when we try to pull pranks," Sirius added. Hagrid couldn't help but smile in amusement. At least someone was trying to keep an eye on the two boys.

"She seemed like a very special girl teh me. Yeh might wanna give 'er a chance." James snorted.

"When pigs fly!"

"An' what abou' Peter?" Hagrid asked. "Do yeh not like 'em either?"

"It's not that we don't like Peter," James explained. "He's just really boring and doesn't talk to anyone but Remus and Lily."

"An' have yeh ever wundered why he dusin' talk ter anyone?" Hagrid prompted taking a gulp of his tea. Sirius and James frowned at each other.

"Er—no?" Hagrid studied them carefully.

"I think yeh shud put yerself in his shoes for' yeh go an' judge em'." James and Sirius shrugged unconcerned. Hagrid sighed at the boys.

Sirius had walked over to a cage and was curiously inspecting a creature with a long snout.

"Hagrid, what is this thing?" He asked. James and Hagrid walked over to Sirius.

"Tha' there is a Niffler," Hagrid explained. "They're very attracted to shiny objects and are good fer treasure hunting. I found this one in meh garden last week. It was a tearin' the garden apart tryin' teh getta coin. They can destroy whole rooms jus' teh get somethin' shiny." James and Sirius' eyes lit up mischievously; Hagrid frowned at them.

"Don' be a gettin' any ideas, yeh hear? The las' thing we need is teh have a Niffler loose in the castle."

"Well maybe not the _whole_ castle," Sirius muttered to James, "just a certain caretaker's office." James tried to keep a straight face as Hagrid narrowed his eyes at them.

"I think yeh two had better be off. It's gettin' dark." The boys nodded and ran towards the door.

"See ya later, Hagrid!"

"See ya," The giant replied shaking his head in amusement as they ran out the door. What on Earth was he going to do with those two troublemakers?

***Author's Note***

Ok, so this is really just a filler chapter, but I forgot to include Hagrid earlier and I didn't feel like going back and changing the 4th chapter.

*Sneak Peek:

Pay close attention to the Niffler; it will come up again soon. Hehehehe :)

Up next, Petunia gets a "Christmas present" and Severus gets a black eye. Please review and rate me!

~Anna~


	6. A Merry Christmas?

Lily quickly double checked to make sure she had everything she needed for her trip home. She had sent Serenity home already and, with the help of Amrita Patil, she'd managed to shrink the owl's cage so that it would fit into her trunk.

"Ready?" Mary asked standing at the door of their room. Lily sighed.

"Yeah, I guess so." They went downstairs and joined Alice, Willa, Remus and Peter. Lynette was staying at Hogwarts; her parents had gone on vacation to Italy and wouldn't be back until summer.

"After you, ladies," said Remus, gesturing to the portrait hole. The girls walked out followed closely by the two boys. James and Sirius suddenly pushed passed the group, running down the halls and singing knock-off versions of Christmas carols.

"_Oh Christmas tree oh Christmas tree, please watch where you're hovering…." _

Everyone shook their heads at the two boys.

"I always knew it was a bad idea to let a Black and a Potter become friends," Alice said with a snort. There was a murmur of agrees as they made their way to the castle entrance where the horseless carriages would take them to the steam engine. Lily suddenly caught sight of Severus walking alone.

"Oy, Sev!" She called. He turned around and waited for the group to walk up.

"Hi," He greeted ignoring the looks of uncertainty on the other Gryffindors' faces.

"Walk with us," Lily offered, grabbing his arm; he obliged and the group headed outside. McGonagall stood at the entrance checking off names as students climbed into the carriages.

"Have a Merry Christmas," She said as Lily, Severus, Willa and Alice climbed into one of the carriages.

"You too, Professor," Lily called back politely before shutting the door.

"So how has your school year been so far, Severus?" Alice asked after a few minutes of silence. Severus shrugged.

"Alright I guess."

"Where's your friend Darcy?" Lily asked him. "I was hoping to meet her."

"She's staying at Hogwarts," Severus said simply. The carriage came to a stop and they jumped out; a wizard took their luggage for them and they boarded the train. Willa, Remus and Peter joined them a few minutes later and they found an empty compartment at the back.

"Does anyone have any big plans for Christmas?" Willa asked propping her feet up on the seat across from her. Lily, Severus and Remus shook their heads.

"My Mum is taking me to see the Beatles in concert," said Mary excitedly.

"The what?" Willa, Alice, Remus and Peter asked in unison.

"Oh, I love the Beatles!" Lily exclaimed. "I have several of their records."

"It's a Muggle band," Mary explained to the confused faces staring at them. "They play rock music." Alice looked even more confused.

"How can a rock play music?" Lily and Mary spent the next hour trying to explain to their friends about Muggle music.

"So, you're saying that people listen to rocks, but they're not really rocks, and these non-rocks play music that Muggles can hear on a thingy called a record player?" Willa asked totally confused. Lily and Mary were on the floor of the compartment holding their stomachs and laughing hysterically; Severus was even cracking a smile. Willa frowned and was about to say something when a loud bang shook the compartment.

"What the?" Lily jumped up and ran to the compartment door; she opened it and stuck her head out. Five compartments down, red and green fireworks were going off in the hall. People were screaming and running for cover as the fireworks continued to explode. Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to their compartment.

"Those two boys can't let anyone have a peaceful day," She complained.

"It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't do the same jokes every time," Willa said with a frown. "Dungbombs and fireworks are starting to get really old." The rest of the ride to King's Cross Station was unbearable as fireworks continued to go off. When the train finally stopped students were hexing each other out of their way to get off.

Lily immediately spotted her Mum and Dad talking with Eileen Snape and Nancy Pettigrew. She, Severus and Peter said their goodbyes to the others and walked up to join the adults; to Lily's relief, she didn't see Petunia anywhere.

"How are you enjoying school?" Charlotte asked giving Lily a big hug.

"It's been great!"

"Can't wait to hear all about it," Isaac said. The adults stood and chatted with the kids for a few more minutes.

Over on the other side of Platform 9 and three quarters, James and Sirius were just getting off the train.

"Did you _see_ the look on that guy's face when the firework exploded behind him?" Sirius asked. James was laughing too hard to reply. They grabbed their trunks and talked excitedly, neither of them paying the slightest bit of attention to their surroundings.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" Someone suddenly shouted. Sirius dropped his trunk.

"Bloody Hell," He complained when he saw his mother marching toward him; she looked as if she was ready to strangle him. He narrowed his eyes at his cousin, Narcissa Black, as she walked behind her Aunt Walburga with a huge smirk on her face. A few feet away next to her parents, Bellatrix Black was cackling happily. Andromeda Black watched Sirius with a look of pity in her eyes.

"I wish you well, mate." James muttered, quickly walking away to find his parents.

"Why haven't you written us?" Walburga demanded grabbing Sirius' ear. "Your father and I haven't heard a peep out of you! If it weren't for your cousins, we would have thought that you'd dropped off the face of the Earth! And your poor brother has been waiting for _weeks_ for you to write him! Did you forget that you _promised_ him that you would?" Orion Black and Regulus walked up to the small group.

"We will discuss this later," said Orion, glancing at the people watching the scene curiously.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, young man," He warned Sirius. "You can start by explaining why Narcissa and Bellatrix have been telling us that you're hanging out with a Potter." Sirius clenched his teeth and sent a death glare to his older cousins. This Christmas was going to be horrible.

"Did we see you with Walburga Black's boy?" Theodora Potter asked James when he finally found his parents.

"Yes, Sirius and I are friends," said James casually. "He's in Gryffindor too." Roland Potter raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, a Black in Gryffindor, who would have thought it?"

"Apparently Walburga hadn't," Theodora commented watching the tall stocky woman drag her son away by his ear.

* * *

><p>Petunia was acting just as Lily had predicted. It had been a week since the young witch had come home for the Holidays and Petunia had said no more than a word to her. She stayed locked up in her room for hours talking to her friends on the phone. The only time Lily saw her sister was at meal times, and that was only long enough to get a glimpse of her blonde hair as she ran downstairs to grab her plate and quickly run back to her room.<p>

Her parents filled up Lily's time though; they wanted to know every detail about Hogwarts. Their eyes would grow huge when Lily would tell them about the many plants they had to take care of in Herbology. They praised her as she bragged about her skills in Charms and Potions, and laughed when Lily told them the story of how she met Fang.

"Are those two boys still giving you a hard time?" Isaac asked. Lily rolled her eyes.

"It's a _very_ good day if they're not trying to put something in my hair or setting of dungbombs in the halls. They tease poor Peter relentlessly, but he's starting to stand up for himself now. Remus and I have been trying to boost his confidence; he's starting to talk to other people at least." Isaac and Charlotte beamed.

"Very good dear, I'm sure he's glad to have friends like you." Lily smiled at the compliment and began ranting about her Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, Mr. Blakewell.

"I don't think he likes _anyone_," Lily complained. "He's always giving us loads of work and he bickers with the other teachers. Someone said that he won't be teaching for long, though."

"And why is that?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Because they say the job is cursed. No one has ever taught more than one year at a time. The Defense Against Dark Arts teacher last year died in a freak accident." Charlotte gasped.

"That's horrible!" Lily grimaced.

"The one before that got angry with Dumbledore and quit; that's probably what will happen with Blakewell. He and the headmaster don't get along." Charlotte frowned at her youngest daughter, but didn't say anymore on the subject.

* * *

><p>On Christmas morning Lily woke up and found herself staring at a black feathered face. She let out a surprised yell and Clove flew off of her and landed on Serenity's perch, looking terribly offended at the redhead's outburst.<p>

"Sorry Clove!" Lily quickly apologized; she noticed a small package lying on her bed. _Lily_ was scribbled on the top in Severus' familiar handwriting. She grinned and tore open the package; inside was a small box and a letter. She carefully laid the box to the side and read the letter.

_Merry Christmas! I wish that I could afford to get you something nicer, but I did my best. Thanks for the new quill set (Ok, I admit to opening it early. I couldn't help myself, sorry!) I hope you like your gift; it's not much but it's all I could do. Mum says hi, she wants to invite you to tea soon. I'll meet you in the thicket later so we can compare gifts. I doubt I'll get anymore, though._

_Severus_

Lily read the letter again and smiled happily. She picked up the box, turning it over in her hands before opening it. Inside was a pair of silver earrings shaped in the letter L with tiny white rhinestones bordering it. Lily gasped in awe and ran to the mirror to put them on.

"Lily, did I hear you get up?" Charlotte asked walking into her room.

"Look what Severus got me, Mum!" Charlotte looked at the earrings and smiled.

"Beautiful, your other presents are downstairs. You've got quite a nice pile of gifts from your friends; owls have been swooping in for about an hour."

"Did Petunia see?" Lily asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," Charlotte replied with a twinkle in her eyes. "She's still in her room; I'm getting ready to drag her out right now."

"I'd better hurry and open my presents then," Lily said heading for her door. "I'd hate to see how she would react with some of the gifts my friends might bring me." She hurried down the stairs and found her Dad in the Living Room.

"There's my little flower," He greeted cheerfully. "I think everything in that corner is yours." Charlotte had not exaggerated when she'd said that Lily had a large pile. The presents took up a whole corner of the room.

Lily eagerly began opening her gifts as Charlotte and a grumpy Petunia joined the family in the Living Room.

Willa's present was a journal complete with a large quill and special ink that changed colors according to her mood. Remus' was a book that talked about famous Wizards from the 10 century to present time; Lynnette gave her a box of sugar quills; Mary gave her a cute silver necklace that complemented the earrings Severus had given her very nicely; Alice sent her a music box that had a tiny orchestra and a letter explaining that '_they will play any song you request.' _Even Peter had sent her a gift; it was a little doll that greatly resembled the Fat Lady and actually moved. Lily wasn't interested in dolls anymore, but she was pleased that he'd thought of her.

"Now it's time to open the present from us," Charlotte said giving Lily and Petunia a gift. Lily excitedly ripped off the wrapping. She gasped as she took the crystal perfume bottle and held it up to the light.

"It's lovely!" She said happily. The fragrance was called _Lilies on a Summer Day._ Lily breathed in the sweet scent and turned to grin at her sister who was also holding a bottle of perfume.

"_Spring Petunias_," Petunia read aloud. She grinned at their parents.

"Thanks, Mum and Dad!" The girls ran over and hugged them. For one wonderful morning, Lily and Petunia forgot about their disagreements and enjoyed themselves in the Living Room with their parents; they laughed together and sang along to Christmas carols on the radio. Looking back later, Lily would have to say that this was the best moment she'd ever had with her family.

However, their perfect moment was ruined when Clove suddenly swooped in from the chimney and dropped a letter onto Lily's lap. Petunia screamed as the black barn owl flew straight towards her.

"GET THAT THING AWAY!" She shrieked covering her head; Clove flew above her and dropped something onto Petunia's lap before perching on top of Isaac's reading lamp. Petunia took one look at Clove's "gift" and let out a blood curling scream.

"A RAT! IT'S A RAT!" She wailed holding it by its tail. Clove hooted happily expecting to be praised for her great catch. Petunia glared at the owl.

"GET THAT BLOODY OWL OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Charlotte gasped.

"_Petunia!_ I don't _ever_ want to hear you use that kind of language again!"

"But _Mum_, it dropped a _rat_ in my lap!" Petunia whined; she turned and glowered at Lily, who was holding her letter and staring dumbly at Clove.

"This was _your_ idea!" Petunia snarled pointing an accusing finger at her sister. Lily shook her head vigorously.

"I had nothing to do with it!" She said defensively, holding up her hands in surrender. "Clove was just giving me a letter; I guess she wanted to give you a present." Petunia's eyes filled with rage.

"_A PRESENT?_" She squealed, "A _rat_ for a _present_?" Lily shrugged.

"It's a great present to an owl." Petunia jumped up.

"I've _had it!_ You and your stupid school and your stupid friends and these _stupid owls!_ I've had it with the whole lot of you! You're all nothing but _freaks!"_ Lily gasped at her sister's outburst.

"Petunia!" Isaac exclaimed jumping out of his recliner, but the tall blonde girl ignored her father as she turned and ran to her room.

"Petunia Evans!" Charlotte yelled just before Petunia's bedroom door slammed shut. Lily sat on her knees dazed as her parents ran after her older sister. A tear streaked down her face as she slowly opened the letter Severus had sent.

_Meet me at the thicket as soon as you can. It's an emergency!_

_Severus_

Wasting no time, Lily jumped up and stuck the letter in her pocket.

"I'm going for a walk," She called to her parents before running out the door. Clove flew out after her hooting happily. Lily didn't know what was wrong, and frankly she didn't care; getting away from Petunia was all that mattered right now. She ran through the thicket and found Severus at their favorite spot; his back was turned to her.

"I got your letter, Sev. What's the emergency?" He turned to her and Lily gasped; he had a very ugly black eye, his mouth was busted open and his nose looked as if it had been bleeding.

"What happened?" She asked running to him. He scowled and looked down.

"Was it your Dad again?" She asked angrily. Severus nodded.

"I-I hexed him," He said barely above a whisper, "and then I ran away." Lily looked down at her feet. The argument with Petunia was far from her mind now.

"What happened?"

"He was yelling at Mum because she accidently burned our lunch. I got angry and told him off." Lily slumped down beside him. She didn't want to picture the fight that must have followed after his comments to Tobias. Lily knew that his father was a little abusive, but this was the worst she'd ever seen Severus before.

"Will you get into trouble with the Ministry?" She asked. Severus shook his head.

"No, they usually send someone over to fix the problem and they give you a warning. You usually get at least two warnings before they snap your wand." Lily felt a little better then, but she was still worried about Severus' eye.

"Did he hurt you anywhere else?" She asked. Severus shook his head.

"I didn't give him time to do anything worse." Lily stood and grabbed his arm.

"Come on, we need to put something on your eye." Severus was about to protest, but one fiery look from Lily made him close his mouth and follow her.

Her Mum and Dad were still in Petunia's room when Lily and Severus came in through the kitchen door. The redhead walked over to the icebox and pulled out a steak handing it to Severus.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" He asked taking the steak.

"Put it over your eye silly!" Lily said. He made a face and did as he was told.

"How is this supposed to help?" He asked. Lily shrugged.

"I have no idea, Mum made Dad do it when he got a black eye last year. I think it's supposed to make the swelling go down." Severus snorted.

"Muggle remedies are so strange." She had to agree with that.

"Lily, did I hear you come back in?" Charlotte asked from the stairs.

"Yes Mum," Lily called back. "Would it be alright if Severus stayed a while?"

"I don't mind, but doesn't he want to spend time with his—" Charlotte gasped when she walked into the kitchen and saw Severus.

"Severus! Whathappened to you?" Lily was about to explain when he cut her off.

"I fell down the stairs," He lied. "And landed on the table," He added as an afterthought. Charlotte's lip twitched.

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. I'm afraid that Petunia has locked herself inside her room and refuses to come down, so it will just be the four of us." Severus nodded and grinned at Lily's mother.

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."

"Anytime dear," Charlotte replied as she left the kitchen. Severus and Lily sighed in relief when they were alone.

"So, what's the deal with Petunia?" Severus asked. Lily's face fell and she told him the whole story, knowing exactly what his reaction would be.

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

Kind of a bad spot to end a chapter, but I lost my train of thought and just gave up. Chapter 7 should be interesting (if I can ever get it written. Sorry, but 7 is a very important chapter and it's going to take a while to get my thoughts together and written down. I'm not sure how long it will take, but it will be a miracle if I get it posted next week.) Some of you have probably already guessed what James gets for Christmas. Let the real pranking begin. Hehehe :)

~Anna~


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